


you know that i couldn't believe my own truth

by master_ofthe_winds



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia
Genre: (?), Angst, Drabble, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Not beta-read, Post-Game, a lot of implied ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 07:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11459109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/master_ofthe_winds/pseuds/master_ofthe_winds
Summary: She looks at her hands, and she's transparent.Not this again.Or: Celica has a nightmare.





	you know that i couldn't believe my own truth

**Author's Note:**

> the title is from 'helena beat' by foster the people; doesn't really fit the fic, but it's a really good song!
> 
> sorry for the possible inconsistencies, i haven't finished echoes yet.

Swords clash.

It's all blurry and overexposed; people are screaming, and Celica can make out a few familiar faces; that's Mathilda, she recognizes somehow, but where's Clive? There's Leon and Boey, but where are Valbar and Mae? Spotting Clair and Forsyth all alone as well, Celica has a bad feeling about this.

Their cries are desperate and furious, faces full of rage as they all fight for everyone they got taken away. It isn't real, she tries to remind herself.

She looks at her hands, and she's transparent.

Not this again.

She can predict, she knows exactly how that goes, even though she tries to fix it every time. Alm's furious, and behind his eyes, Celica swears she can see his unshed tears; she knows it didn't go like this and Alm's alright in reality, - she desperately tries to hold onto these thoughts to stop waking up silently screaming - but her heart can't bear this, can't bear the image of Alm screaming, choking on a sob and misty-eyed as he attacks Rudolf, his very own father he never knew about before, the image of Alm screaming about everyone he lost, and when he mentions Celica, she shudders.

_'Please! Stop!'_

She can feel tears rolling down her cheek, and as she shrieks, shrills over and over for the umpteenth time, it's silent again. (She had this nightmare an abundance of nights before, and it was always the same; horrid, unpleasant, and one of the worst things was that it seemed so, so real. Celica keeps thinking that it could've been like this, but she shoos the thought away once again.)

No one ever notices her in there, no matter how much she screams - she can't get used to it. Alm cries, sobs and pants, keeps dodging Rudolf's attacks, yet it still hurts Celica's heart like a deep wound that keeps getting opened; the battle goes on, and she weeps silently, watching the scene but unable to do anything. She has long stopped trying to interact with everyone - they never react, and Celica always ends up falling through people, tripping and kissing the ground; she felt _so, so bad_ for not being able to be there for Alm, for all of the friends they both gained during their journeys - it simply felt as if Celica was betraying everyone by dying, even if it all wasn't real. She wasn't able to save anyone. And as she watches the fight, frozen like a deer in the headlights and sobbing, it gets to _that part._

Alm flies away, a result of Rudolf shoving him prior, and clings onto his sword as if for dear life, he pants and looks down, face wounded and eyes wide open; then, he closes his eyes and gathers all remnants of his strength to stand back up again, but he can't.

Rudolf inflicts the final blow, and Celica shrills.

_'No!'_

She wakes up in cold sweat. That was a dream, she reminds herself as she does every other night, it's just a dream. Her heart is pounding as if it's going to jump out of her ribcage any time now, and her eyes are wide open. 'Alm...'

She shivers - it's cold, and the moonlight shines _oh so heavily_ upon her, nay, their bed. It takes some time, but the memories flash quickly inside her head, and she sighs out a shaky exhale of relief. Only then did she notice her husband's absence.

Celica, still a tad shaky, gets out of bed and walks through the building. The quiet ticking of the clocks on the walls is soothing, she notes senselessly when, in her wandering around the place, she catches a glimpse of Alm. Celica makes her way toward the balcony slowly and almost soundlessly, as if creeping towards an animal, and outside, Alm is moving.

With Falchion laying on the floor and various maps scattered around, the king is pacing aimlessly, eyes focused on the floor.

'Alm?'

He shudders.

'Celica? Is that you?'

Who else, she thinks with a smile.

'Yes. Why aren't you asleep yet?'

'And why aren't you?'

Her smile becomes a thin line and she inhales sharply; Alm gets it.

'Okay. Ever since the... whole thing,' _war_ he mouthes, 'it was, and still is, hard for me to fall asleep. But don't go sympathizing with me right now.'

Celica sighs, and in no time, the smile is back.

'I've had nightmares. The same one, actually.'

Alm stops pacing and freezes, eyebrows lifted.

'For how long?'

'I lost count. They started sometime during, or even before the war.'

Alm furrows his eyebrows.

'Want to talk about it?'

Celica finally meets his gaze, and she can see behind his eyes, just like in the dream.

'Yes.'

Sounds fall from Celica's lips like a waterfall; for the first time in a while, she doesn't care about her word choice. She doesn't focus on what she says, instead, she only ever looks at Alm's face. She likes it, likes watching people's emotions; it only hurts when _his_ emotions are negative. When she's done talking, Alm is shocked, brows furrowed and mouth slightly agape. She cups his cheeks, looks up at him and smiles silently, lovingly.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's alright. We're both fine.'

'Just... know that I'm here for you, alright? If you ever have nightmares, I'll be there for you.' Alm's voice is quiet, and Celica can't stop smiling.

'You as well. I won't leave you.' So when he smiles back and she feels his arms around her waist, Celica is happy.

'I really think we should go sleep. Valentia won't manage itself, will it?'

He truly beams.

And as they lie between the sheets in the dark of their bedroom, holding each other close, the green of Alm's hair lit faintly by the moon, Celica's eyes are closing. Alm is asleep already, snoring slightly; his eyes are shut, and he looks so peaceful and dreamy Celica can feel her heart pound. She smiles fondly and ruffles his hair; he groans quietly in his sleep, and her smile widens. In no time she is asleep; but before that, she lets out a whisper. 'I love you.' And for once, she knows this:

They've got each other.

**Author's Note:**

> asdfghjkl theyre so in love ;-; this is probably one of the very few f/m ships i cried over  
> anyway, this was a really fast scribble
> 
> all feedback, positive and negative, slight praise and constructive criticism are more than welcome!
> 
> also, i got a faye/silque modern au idea, a valeon angst+hurt/comfort scribble and an almost-finished, lucina-centered fic w male chrobin and lucina/severa on the foreground coming up!! oh boy


End file.
